Come With Me Now
by lucawindmover
Summary: In the early summer following the defeat of the Mountain Men, the Sky People's youth have been invited to Festival of Fates. In the spirit of peace, Clarke, Bellamy, and the others agree to participate...but they had no idea what they were in for.
1. Chapter 1

"Come With Me Now"

Lucawindmover

Chapter One

"Better"

* * *

"Are we really doing this?" Bellamy asked from just outside the door to Clarke's room.

Clarke turned away from the backpack she had been shoving a spare set of clothes into, taking in her partner's skeptical expression. She sighed and crossed the room to her small table, gathering up her spare canteen and an extra medkit. She wasn't expecting to need it, which was all the more reason to take it with her, in her opinion.

"Yes, we're _really_ doing this," she answered, tucking the last of her supplies into the pack.

The peace between the Sky People and Grounders had been tenuous at first. It had been six months now since the Battle of the Mountain and relations were improving on a weekly basis. There were always little skirmishes and misunderstandings; the two clans had very different methods for disciplining perpetrators. After the Battle, the leaders of both sides had agreed that they should each administer justice to their own people. It was a solution that had worked so far.

Relations had been better over the last few months with fewer and fewer instances of violence and many more of friendship instead. Customs were being learned on both sides, technologies and techniques exchanged, camaraderie shared. The Grounders were able to tend to their affairs with ease now that the Mountain Men were no longer a problem and the Sky People were busy planting fields and building more permanent structures.

Clarke was sure this burgeoning trust was the reason they'd extended this invitation.

Bellamy crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. "I don't think you get it," he responded and Clarke could feel his eyes on her as she reached under her bed and pulled out the roll of plastic tarp she used as a tent when they were out scouting.

"It's a festival, Bellamy," she answered, tying the roll to her pack. "It's feasting and dancing and drinking. Aren't you usually the one telling me to lighten up?"

He shrugged. "That's not the way Lincoln describes it. He seemed to make the festival out to be some kind of week-long orgy."

Clarke rolled her eyes. "I seriously doubt Lexa and Mattox would invite us to an orgy," she scoffed and shouldered her pack. "And even if they did, I don't see why you're complaining."

"I'm not," he replied, stepping back out of the way as she came out and pulled her door closed behind her.

"Sure sounds like it," she grumbled. He followed just behind her as they headed out of the remnants of the former space station. "Which is weird for a guy with a revolving door on his tent."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Clarke sighed. "Nothing, forget it."

"What do you care who I sleep with?" he asked as they reached the outer door and stepped out into the early summer morning. This side of the station was still in the shade and there was a light chill in the air. At least, that's the excuse Clarke used to explain her sudden case of goosebumps.

"I don't," she answered a little more quickly than she'd meant to.

Bellamy grabbed her elbow and stopped her in her tracks. "Oh really?" He looked unconvinced.

Clarke clenched her jaw for a moment before turning to face him. "Okay. Maybe I do. A little."

He was fighting a smirk, she could tell. She knew his expressions better than she knew her own…but he knew hers, too. And she had a feeling he knew that smirking at her right now would get him punched.

"Why?" he asked, his eyes dancing with the merriment he didn't dare show any other way.

"Because we're doing this leadership thing together," she answered. "I don't need you getting somebody pregnant. You can't do this job with a kid to take care of."

Bellamy's knowing expression didn't really change at her answer and she felt her cheeks starting to get hot.

Damn him. Damn his dimples and twinkling eyes straight to hell.

Clarke narrowed her eyes at him and turned away, stalking toward the front gate where a crowd of their friends were waiting.

Lexa had explained that this was a festival for young, unmarried people to mingle with others from various tribes. The Grounders had a pretty strict code of conduct when it came to who they were allowed to fraternize with. Relationships within their immediate villageswere forbidden. The clans were all so small that there had always been fear of inbreeding and marrying within family lines. For this reason, festivals were always highly anticipated by all.

There had been a lot of discussion about who was considered an adult though. For the Sky People, adulthood came at eighteen. For most of the Grounder tribes, adulthood came with a first kill, meaning teenagers as young as thirteen could be considered adults. The Sky People realized that there was no changing the Grounder culture involving who was allowed to attend the festival. In the end, Clarke made sure to spread the word around to her people that there would be a few much younger people in their midst and to behave themselves the same way as they would at home.

"Hey Clarke!" Raven called from the back of the wagon that was parked at the gate. Lexa had loaned them the use of the horses in order to transport Monty's brew to the festival site. The location was a little farther than a day's walk and there was no comfortable way to move the barrels that distance without the assistance.

It was good for Raven as well. Although the she would never complain, her leg would have caused her a lot of grief with a walk that far. She'd been making great strides in the last few months but she would always need her brace. It slowed her down and tended to make her incredibly sore over long distances. If it weren't for the ability to ride, Raven might not have been physically able to join them.

Clarke grinned and raised a hand in acknowledgement before moving to the head of the group where Lexa waited with only a few of her warriors. She was acting as the Sky People's guide to the festival. The rest of her people had already left and would be waiting the arrival of their Commander and the new guests.

"Are your people ready to leave?" Lexa asked by way of greeting as Clarke approached.

"I believe so," Clarke answered. "But I'll hang back to be sure."

Lexa nodded and gestured for her warriors to move forward. Clarke watched as the cart and almost twenty of their people filed by, most laughing and joking and expressing general happiness to be leaving camp for a reason other than work. She caught Jasper, Monty, Harper, and Murphy among themand was glad to see that her friends were getting a break.

Bellamy waited with her, his eyes scanning the faces for his sister.

Clarke saw Octavia coming but decided not to say anything as she snuck up behind her brother and covered his eyes with her hands. "Guess who?"

Bellamy smiled one of his genuine, dimple-inducing grins. "Lincoln?"

Octavia laughed and pushed him away. He turned and ruffled her hair, which might have been easier if there hadn't been so many braids. It must have been something he was accustomed to doing back when she was younger, a habit that being on the ground hadn't broken.

"You better behave yourself, big brother," Octavia said, giving him a hug.

A look of relief crossed Bellamy's face as her words sunk in. "You aren't going?" he asked.

Octavia shrugged. "Lincoln said this was a celebration for unmarried people."

Clarke had to bite her lip to keep from laughing as Bellamy's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"You're not married!" he sputtered.

"Well no," his sister responded and Clarke could see the same twinkling in the younger Blake's eyes that she'd seen in Bellamy's earlier. "Not by Sky People standards anyway."

As much as Clarke would have been entertained by a Blake family discussion on marriage, she knew now was not the time. Glancing around, she could see the group was beyond the gate and quickly gaining Bellamy could really start in on Octavia, Clarke grabbed his arm. "We don't have time for this right now," she said, catching his glare. "We're going to get left behind."

Bellamy's jaw clenched and his eyes looked murderous. He turned back to his grinning sister and said, "We're not done. When we get back, me and you are gonna talk about this. _With Lincoln_."

While he stormed off, Clarke reached forward and gave Octavia a parting hug. "Was this really the best time to tell him that?" she asked, only partly serious.

Octavia laughed. "There was never going to be a good time to tell him," she answered. "But I was hoping at least this way you could maybe smooth it over for me? While you guys are gone?"

Clarke smirked. "Yeah right. What makes you think he'll listen to me?"

Octavia winked at her. "I think you underestimate your powers of persuasion when it comes to my brother."

After one last hug, Clarke was jogging through the gate and down the eastern path, contemplating exactly what the younger Blake had meant by that.

* * *

Raven was exhausted. If she had just ridden in the back of the cart for the trip, like Clarke had asked her to, she would have probably been fine. But a couple of hours into the trip, she'd noticed how Lexa's warriors were sending disdainful glances her way and muttering to one another. It was too much. Raven wasn't about to let them see her as weak. So she'd gotten out of the cart and walked the rest of the way. The last few miles had been hell, her lower back cramping and her hip and thigh sore with muscle fatigue.

When darkness fell on their little caravan, Lexa called a halt and they made camp. Raven couldn't have been more thankful. After a quick once-over from Clarke, Raven was ready to crash.

There was plenty of room still in the back of the cart. Even with the tents they'd brought and the barrels of Monty's brew, the whole back half of the cart was empty. Since Lexa's clan wasn't traveling with them and the Sky People didn't a lot to offer, there was space enough Raven to stretch out here.

She tossed her pack in first and awkwardly climbed into the cart. Lucky for her, there was no wall on the back of the cart, just a rope tied across to keep the barrels from sliding off the back. She wasn't sure she'd have been able to get over one of the sides without someone helping her. She propped her pack against one of the barrels and leaned back against it, trying to get comfortable. Her feet were almost hanging off the end and for once she was thankful she wasn't taller.

It was a good thing they weren't worried about being attacked out here because the amount of noise her friends were making was ridiculous. As badly as she wanted to go to sleep, she grinned at the sound of it. They needed the opportunity to celebrate and act their age. There had been a celebration of sorts after the Battle of the Mountain but there had been so much to mourn at the same time. This festival was something entirely different; it was a chance to get away from their every day lives and just enjoy being alive.

Raven had just closed her eyes and started to drift off, despite the noise, when she was jostled awake by the sensation of someone sitting on the back of the cart. The boards groaned and she could shuffling.

"What are you doing moping back here?"

Raven pushed herself up on her elbows, her eyes searching the darkness for a face to go with the voice. "Murphy?"

Even with the lack of light she could see as he looked back over his shoulder and smirked at her. "Congratulations," he snarked. "_Genius_."

She laughed softly and fell back on her pack, remembering speaking those same words to him half a year ago. "I'm not moping. I'm sleeping…or at least trying to."

Murphy laid back and tucked his arms behind his head. His legs were still hanging off the end of the cart and she found herself wondering if that meant he didn't intend to stay. "You definitely should," he said. "We're only going to be in the woods for about an hour tomorrow. The rest of the trip will be with almost no shade. Gonna get pretty hot."

"You've scouted this way before?" Raven asked, closing her eyes again.

"With a hunting party, yeah. I mean, we didn't go as far as where the festival grounds are. I think we'll be back in the trees again before we're done. But I do know we're gonna go through this big fucking field and it's gonna be scorching."

Raven groaned. "Figures."

Murphy chuckled. "Hey at least it'll be flat. That'll be better for your leg, right?"

She shrugged even though he couldn't see her. "Who says I won't just ride in the cart?"

"Who the hell do you think you're fooling here?" he asked. She looked down at him to see his eyes on hers in the gloom.

Raven rolled her eyes.

"You're hurting," Murphy said, not a question but a statement.

"I'm not even going to ask how you know that," she grumbled. "You were staring at my ass, weren't you?"

He laughed and Raven could feel him bump her hip with his elbow, thankful it was her good one and not her sore one. "Couldn't help it," he answered. "I had a great view."

"You're such an ass."

"You would know."

She grinned and closed her eyes again. There was no way she was going to fall asleep like this. "What are you doing back here, Murphy?"

"Figured it was a good place to sleep. Better than the dirt anyway," he answered. "But you beat me to it."

"The cart's big enough for two, you know."

The cart creaked and Raven peaked through heavy eyelids to see him scoot farther into the cart. "Why, Raven Reyes," he said in an overly scandalized tone. "Are you asking me to sleep with you?"

"I don't ask," she responded without missing a beat. "And you know what? Let's call this invitation revoked, shall we?"

He just laughed and settled in. "Don't get your panties in a bunch."

She wanted to be annoyed at him but she was just too damn tired. And sore. After a particularly long and jaw-aching yawn, Raven decided that Murphy was mostly harmless these days and no danger to her while she slept. She attempted to roll away from him but her left hip was too sore for that. So instead, she rolled toward him, tucking her arm under her pack.

Murphy had his eyes closed and if he wasn't already asleep, he was close. He seemed so much younger when he was relaxed, a side of him that people rarely saw. Hell, it seemed like none of them ever relaxed anymore. This retreat from their usual responsibilities was absolutely needed for each of them to shake a little of that weight that seemed to be ever-present.

Raven curled her knees up a little as she started to fall asleep, ignoring how they pressed into Murphy's side. Or maybe she did it on purpose, she wasn't sure. She thought she might have felt him rest a hand on her knee but she didn't flinch and the peace of sleep finally claimed her.

"_I'm just a believer that things will get better. Some can take it or leave it but I don't wanna let it go."_

_American Authors "Believer"_

* * *

A/N: Friends! Thank you for reading, seriously! For those of you wondering what's going on with "Up in Flames" I can tell you that I'm absolutely still working on it and you should be getting a new update sooner rather than later. It has not been abandoned, I can assure you.

I'm going to be working on these two stories at the same time. Updates will follow my muse between the two but you can be assured that I will always be working on something.

Also, if you'd like to know exactly what's going on with Murphy and Raven in this story, check out "Even." That story takes place about six months before this one and will give you some insight into their dynamic and their past.

Last but certainly not least, a huge thank you to Marina Black1. Her encouragement and beta-love brought this story to life. Her current story, "Walking Through Fire" is fantastic and explores a side of Murphy we don't get to see a lot of in the show. Thank you all for being so supportive. And get ready! This story is going to be a LOT of fun.

~Luca


	2. Chapter 2

"Come With Me Now"

Lucawindmover

Chapter Two

"Follow Me"

* * *

Bellamy stopped at the top of the hill and shielded his eyes from the midday sun as the rest of his people filed by. There, at the bottom of the hill, was a new stretch of trees. He sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He'd never expected the sight of shade to be so welcome. He found himself wishing he could just race down the hill and collapse under the trees.

Hot was an understatement. Lincoln had once tried to explain what the summer season was like in this area but—just as he hadn't been able to really prepare them for the first snow back in January-the intensity of the mid-June sun also hadn't been accurately depicted. It would have been nice to know that their skin would burn in the sun, that the air would be almost too humid to breathe, and that clothes would become optional. Bellamy wasn't the only one feeling it, he noticed. It seemed everyone in the group had sweat-drenched faces. Shirts clung to the skin of those who hadn't shed their garments already.

Clarke stopped beside him, holding her hair off her backwith one hand, the other hand fanning her face.

"You gonna make it there, Princess?" He asked, letting his eyes linger on the shapely line of her neck for a moment before turning back to the slope before them.

She sighed as the last of their group plodded by. "Lexa says the festival grounds are inside that copse of trees," Clarke said with a gesture to the forest below. "I think I can make it that far at least."

Bellamy chuckled and the two of them started down the dry, grassy hill at the back of the line.

He could feel Clarke eyeing him and he raised an eyebrow. "What?"

She shrugged. He couldn't tell if she was blushing or if she was sunburned. "I'm just kind of surprised you don't have your shirt off like the rest of the guys."

"You know, if you wanted to see me shirtless, all you had to do was ask."

"Pffft," Clarke scoffed. "As if _that's_ something we haven't all seen a hundred times."

Bellamy frowned. Clarke noticed his expression and she laughed as if she couldn't help herself.

"You are almost _never_ wearing a shirt," she managed through her merriment. "There's not an ab or dimple from your waist up that I haven't memorized."

Bellamy smirked and turned his eyes back to the path they were following; he was pretty sure she didn't realize she'd just admitted to watching him shirtless. However, her words had brought a question to his mind that he couldn't help but ask. "Dimples?" he asked, as innocently as he possibly could because if he embarrassed her too much he knew she wouldn't answer and he was genuinely curious. "Where do I have dimples?"

Clarke held up her hand and started ticking them off on her fingers. "Well, there are two in your cheeks when you smile like _that_," she answered, pointing at the grin he was currently sporting. "And the one on your chin. And then the…uh…two…uh…"

Bellamy glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and decided that, sunburned or not, she was definitely blushing. Her neck had _not _been that red a moment ago. "Two where?"

"Right…uh…" she trailed off again and swallowed hard, forcing her eyes forward. "You know what? Never mind."

He laughed and let it go because it didn't matter; he knew exactly which dimples she was talking about, the ones he had just above his ass on either side of his spine. They only showed when his jeans slipped on his hips a little. Several girls had commented on them of the last few years, so he knew they were there. The fact that Clarke had to have been watching so intently was incredibly satisfying.

"There's supposed to be a swimming hole," Bellamy ventured after a few minutes of strained silence, steering the conversation toward a more benign topic.

"Oh, well that's _just_ what we need," Clarke said with a huff. "A bunch of drunk kids who don't know how to swim jumping into a river."

"Nobody's drunk," Bellamy countered.

Clarke folded her arms across her chest."Yet. Not _yet_. But they will be! And then what do we do? Hmmm? Just wait for them to drown?"

Bellamy rolled his eyes and ran his hands through his damp hair. He would have loved to argue with her on this one but he knew she was right. It wouldn't take much for drunken swimming to claim a life. Hell, _sober _swimming might kill a few of them, considering their lack of experience.

"Look," Bellamy started as they finally closed in on the line of trees before them. "Would it make you feel better if we checked out the swimming hole before hand? We could see how deep it is. Make sure there's no man-eating snakes?"

Clarke nodded. "And if it's shallow enough and the current isn't too strong we could let the others go."

Bellamy was pretty sure there would be no stopping the rest of their friends regardless of how deep or swift the water was but he wasn't about to tell Clarke that.

"So we get to camp, settle everybody in, and go check the place out."

"Just the two of us?" she asked. "Alone?"

Bellamy sighed as they finally stepped into the dappled shade of the trees. It wasn't much cooler under the branches but the shelter from the steady sun was a welcome relief. "You got a problem with that?"

Clarke mumbled something unintelligible and uncrossed her arms, hands clutching at the strap to her backpack instead.

With a hand on her elbow, he stopped her in her tracks, taking in her frown and the crease between her brows. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing," she grumbled, pulling her arm out of his grip.

"Tell that to your face," he replied.

Clarke crossed her arms again, almost as if she didn't know what to be doing with her hands. "So you think you can read me, huh?"

"I don't just think," he said with a grin. "I know."

"Okay. You think you know me so well, _you_ tell_ me_ what's wrong," Clarke challenged. She raised an eyebrow and waited for his answer.

Bellamy let his eyes dart to the last of their caravan disappearing in the distance for a moment, assuring himself that they wouldn't be overheard. "You're pissed because you admitted that you find me attractive."

Clarke laughed but Bellamy could see that telltale blush along her neck deepening. "I said no such thing."

He shrugged. "You said you memorized my dimples."

"I memorize a lot of things," she argued. "One of the perks of a good visual memory."

"Visual. Meaning you were looking."

"Of course I was looking," Clarke said with a roll of her eyes. "How could I not look?"

Bellamy waggled his eyebrows and then turned, heading down the path. He could hear Clarke trudging along behind him but he didn't look back.

"That's it?" She asked, catching up with him and matching his stride. "That's your argument? I think you're attractive because I looked?"

"You said it, not me," He replied and he could almost feel the heat rolling off of her as she realized exactly the logic he was using against her.

She stomped ahead of him, throwing one scathing look over her shoulder before she was nearly jogging in her attempt to put space between them.

Bellamy had been feeling the attraction between them for a while now, months even. There was always something to pull their focus though: another hut to build or scouting trip to go on or broken bone to splint. They didn't spend as much time together now that they had the adults to shoulder more of the responsibility and decision-making. In those rare moments that he had time to seek her out in the medbay or she wandered to his post on the wall, he knew they could both feel it. There was a pull between them that he couldn't ignore. He was pretty sure she felt it too, but Clarke was stubborn. It would take drastic measures to get her to admit what was there…

Lucky for both of them, Bellamy had a plan.

* * *

Murphy dropped the heavy sledgehammer he'd been using to the ground and pulled up the edge of his shirt to wipe the sweat out of his eyes. It was tiring work driving stakes for the tents in the heat but it was better than helping the Rivers Clan with their crates of squawking chickens. So, when Bellamy had asked for volunteers, he'd happily switched jobs.

Although they were sheltered from the scorching rays of the sun, they'd all learned pretty quickly that shade didn't necessarily mean relief from the heat. There was no breeze and the air was so thick that Murphy's shirt was sticking to him everywhere. Wiping his face with it hadn't helped much, considering that the fabric was drenched. Nearly all the other guys had shed theirs during the trip through the field.

Murphy wasn't embarrassed to take his shirt off nor was he ashamed of his scars. He'd earned every single one of them; survived each and every attempt to take his life. He'd been beaten and bled, tortured and hung and shot. The last two fingers on his left hand had been lost in an accident during the Battle of the Mountain.

Shame wasn't the reason he had remained clothed. He was just waiting for the right moment.

Several Grounder women were watching him while he worked. They weren't being particularly subtle about it either. One girl stood out from the rest with her bright red hair braided to keep it out of her face. She was dressed comfortably in a tight tank top that had been cut to reveal an enviously flat tummy. She chatted amiably in the Grounder language to the girls she stood with but her eyes never seemed to leave him. Murphy could see that she had her own scars and was likely a warrior, further fueling his interest.

It wasn't as if he had been hurting for sex. He hadn't exactly been celibate since his night with Raven. There'd been a two-night fling with one of Byrne's guards after the Battle, a kind of just-happy-to-be-alive sort of then another short tryst with the girl from Factory station, the one they'd rescued from the side of the cliff, Meg or Mel or something. He knew she'd been rebounding after Bellamy had turned her away but Murphy didn't really care. He wasn't looking for feelings anyway.

The truth was he still had some kind of stigma surrounding him. Proving himself at the Mountain helped erase some of it; keeping himself out of trouble since hadn't hurt either. But even the people who considered him a friend kept him at arm's length because of the events back during their drop ship days. Most of the time it didn't bother him. He didn't care what other people thought about him…but it did seem to affect his sex life and here was a golden opportunity to remedy that.

For the Grounders, his scars would be a mark of virility. They wouldn't cringe, they'd admire. So Murphy waited until he was sure they were watching before he pulled the wet fabric from his skin and tossed it aside. The chatter among the women immediately increased and he could hardly suppress the grin that pulled at his lips.

At least until he actually turned to look… there at the edge of the group was Raven with a wide grin directed toward him and mischief in her eyes.

Raven cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted. "Woohoo, yeah Murphy!"

He rolled his eyes and picked the sledgehammer back up, determined to ignore her.

"Looking good, Murphy! Damn," She shouted at his back. "Why'd you stop at the shirt? Take it _all _off!"

Someone in the group of Grounder girls spoke English, he was betting on the redhead and they were all definitely laughing and chattering among themselves now.

Murphy looked back over his shoulder to see Raven there, arms crossed and hip cocked, still watching him. The other girls were eyeing her with expressions Murphy couldn't entirely decipher; though he was getting the impression that maybe they thought Raven was competition. Which was ridiculous. He wasn't worried about them competing with one another. He'd give them each a turn, if he was what they wanted.

"You got a problem, Reyes?" He asked, propping the hammer up on his shoulder.

"Nope," She replied. "Just enjoying the show," She jerked her head in the direction of the other spectators.

"Show's not free," He said, attempting to call her bluff. "Put up or shut up."

Raven raised an eyebrow and smirked but didn't say anything else. She turned and motioned for the red-haired girl to come over. Raven whispered something in the other girl's ear before limping off in the direction of the main fire pit, drawing disapproving glares from the group who noticed her brace now that she was walking away. The redhead went back to them and the whispering and pointing began again in earnest.

Murphy clenched his jaw and went back to work, steadfastly ignoring those girls. He had no idea what Raven was trying to pull but he was determined not to let her keep the upper hand. He was going to find out exactly what she'd said to the grounders and he had absolutely no reservations about using dirty tactics to do so.

"_Will you walk the line like it's there to choose?"_

_X Ambassadors "Jungle"_

* * *

A/N: Huge thanks to Marina Black1 for taking time out of her day to help me out on this. Seriously, she is the best. And thank you guys for reviewing and getting excited about this story! Such fun stuff ahead. I can't wait to share it with you.

Luca


	3. Chapter 3

"Come With Me Now"

Lucawindmover

Chapter Three

"More"

* * *

The afternoon was wearing on slowly in the heat, no one ready to rush around and attend to the chores and tasks that needed to be done in order to put the camp together. If this group had been anywhere other than within the festival grounds, Lexa would have had them jumping to do her bidding. There would have been no lazing around, no dawdling and laughing and playfully chasing one another rather than unpacking the wagons.

But unfortunately for Lexa, she held no power here.

Ages ago, it had been decreed that the festivals grounds were neutral territory. Weapons were not permitted within the boundaries, requiring that even the slaughtering of animals happened outside the grounds. All titles and responsibilities ended at the boundary-line, meaning that everyone who entered became equal, Commanders holding no more sway than the lowliest of warriors.

As long as she was standing within these walls Lexa was just another village girl, capable of feasting and drinking and fucking to her heart's content. It wasn't unusual for the leaders of different clans to participate every now and then. Mattox was here, for the first time in years to join in the festivities with the Sky People.

Lexa hadn't intended to do the same. This was her first festival since she'd been called forward to lead her people and she was torn between showing her people that she wasn't above celebrating the festival and showing the Sky People that she, too, was just a woman underneath her armor. That vulnerability was tough to swallow and Lexa wasn't sure it was the best way to get to know the Sky People.

And yet…it was incredibly tempting. She had only been to two other festivals before this one and they had been some of the most freeing experiences she'd ever had. Being groomed for leadership had put her in a very tight position, forcing her to rein in her own desires for the good of her people. For the one week of the festival, she'd been able to shed those constraints for a while.

With the eyes of the Sky People now watching her every move, she wasn't sure it was a good idea. She needed to maintain their respect, their fear. She was sure that drinking and dancing and sleeping with them would damage that image.

So, she gathered her warriors—the two would not be staying because they had wives at home—and made ready to head back to her clan. She was prepping her horse for departure when she heard someone calling to her and she paused.

"Lexa," Jasper called as he approached. "Hey. You're, uh…not staying?"

Lexa eyed the man before her with a bit of weariness. He was frail looking and despite the scar on his chest, he had no other from marks battle. However, she knew he was highly intelligent and valued among the Sky People. "No," she answered. "I was only to be your guide."

Jasper shrugged, scratching the back of his neck with one hand. "That doesn't mean you can't stay though, right? Or well…I mean, are there rules against you staying for the festival?"

"There are no rules against it," she replied. "I may stay if I wish."

"So, then what? You just don't want to?"

Lexa struggled to keep her face from reflecting her internal turmoil. "As the Commander, I must think beyond what I want for myself and do what is best for my people."

The young man before her raised an eyebrow, a curious expression that she had come to understand meant he didn't exactly believe her statement to be true. "What are you afraid of?" He asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder to where a group of his people were unloading the moonshine from the cart. "How is having some fun gonna be _bad_ for your people?"

Lexa had to remind herself that here within the festival grounds, this young man was allowed to speak to her in any way that he saw fit. Under normal circumstances, she'd have chastised him for being so informal. At any rate, he was of the Sky People and would have had to answer to Clarke. "I do not fear your people," she said. She was thankful for all her years of training at this moment, noting that her tone conveyed none of the annoyance she currently felt.

Jasper held his hands up in mock defense, sporting what seemed to be an embarrassed grin. "I'm not trying to pick a fight, alright? I'm just saying…you know, maybe it'd be good for you to occasionally do something for yourself. That's all." And with this said, he backed up a few paces and then turned to head back to the wagon where the moonshine was still being unloaded.

Lexa took up the reins and stopped, thinking about the young man's words. Would it be better for her people if the Sky People could count her as a companion rather than just an ally? If she let her hair down for the festival would those allies believe her more or less capable of leading? The other leaders were here. If she were to leave, would it seem as if she were running away? Would they believe, as Jasper had, that she was afraid to be here?

With her jaw set firmly, Lexa began unsaddling her horse. A sharp command to her guards had them leaving camp without her.

Lexa would not be seen as weak. She would not be seen as afraid. She would show the Sky People that she, too, could be one of them. For a week, at least.

* * *

Clarke wiped her hand across her forehead with a sigh. Harper thanked herfor helping her apply a salve to her sunburned skin before heading off in the direction of the laughter of Monty and Jasper. Harper was the third person who'd needed attention after their trek. None of the Grounders seemed to be affected by the sun during their journey, unlike the Sky People, most of whom hadn't come to Clarke for assistance out of stubbornness. Clarke couldn't blame them. She hadn't attended to her own sunburn yet either.

They'd been in the festival grounds for well over an hour now. Without any of their usual structure, it seemed as if nothing was getting done. The pitching of the tents had been haphazard at best and most of the carts were still sitting in various states of being unpacked. It felt very much like their first few days on the ground at the drop ship, very disorganized and yet free. Clarke tried to let go of the part of herself that railed at the disorder. She wanted to feel as carefree as her friends but she was finding it incredibly difficult after leading for so long.

"You know you don't have to play medic while you're here," Bellamy said from behind her.

Clarke turned and looked over her shoulder to find him there, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed and a bemused expression on his face.

She shrugged. "_They_ came to find _me_. What was I supposed to do? Tell them to get their own remedies?"

"Why not?" he asked. "This is supposed to be your vacation."

Clarke shook her head with a smirk, dropping her jar of paste back into her pack. "I don't know anything about vacations."

"That does _not _surprise me," he snarked, reaching for her hand and pulling her to her feet. "But luckily you have me."

Clarke took her hand back and dusted off her knees. "Oh, and you're the vacation expert then?"

"I wouldn't say expert exactly," he said, jerking his head in the direction of a path toward the river.

"Well you _were_ the king of 'Whatever the Hell We Want' if I remember correctly."

He laughed and shook his head. The walk to the river would have been pleasant if not for the heat. Where the forest around their home was full of ferny undergrowth, the trees here were broken up with a soft, waist-high yellow grass. There wasn't a breeze now but Clarke could imagine a gust of wind would cause the whole sea of gold to bend and ripple. She sighed and pulled a damp rag from her pocket to wipe at the sweat trickling down the back of her neck.

They came across the river rather suddenly. Clarke had expected to hear a rushing or trickling sound to warn her ahead of time but as she looked over the side of the slight embankment she realized that the river hardly made a noise. There were no large rocks or tumbling waterfalls, no outcroppings of stone to break up the river. From their position on the bank, it seemed as if the water was almost still.

"I wonder how deep it is," Bellamy said as he slid down the embankment to the sandbar below.

"Be careful," Clarke warned, her stomach a ball of nervous energy as she eyed the water. She would never forget the sight of Octavia being pulled under by the giant snake near their home. Clarke had been in the lake near Camp Jaha since then, many times, and each time is was with hesitance in her heart for remembering that horrible fight to keep Octavia from being swept away from them.

"I _am_ being careful. That's what we're here for, right?" he asked as he kicked his boots off and shucked his socks. "Checking that it's safe for the others?"

Clarke nodded.

Bellamy pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it over his boots. "So what are you waiting for? Or are you going to make me do this by myself?"

Clarke swallowed hard as she realized what he was asking her to do. "Are you trying to get me naked?"

Bellamy's face broke into a wide grin as he unbuttoned his pants. "Do you _want_ me to get you naked?"

"Ha, you wish," she grumbled as she sat on the side of the embankment to take off her boots. She would have loved to just let him go in alone, out of spite. But the water looked so inviting and she was soaked in sweat right now. And he was very tempting in nothing but his tight black shorts.

Clarke shook her head, trying to rid herself of her final thoughts, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was exactly the reaction Bellamy wanted. She was determined not to give him that.

She busied herself with pulling her shirt off and slipping out of her jeans. She wouldn't give him another glance if she could help it. Not until he was in the river anyway.

But he was so damn quiet for moment that she was worried he'd managed to drown himself before he'd even hit the water. She looked over to see his eyes glued to her, an expression on his features that she wasn't used to seeing directed at her. It wasn't as if they hadn't seen one another in various states of undress over the last few months. He'd seen her in a bra and panties on several different occasions. Whether it was the close quarters of scouting trips or an injury that needed attention or the accidental incident of not knocking beforehand, they'd both seen almost everything there was to see.

Almost.

Clarke's throat felt dry now though, watching as his eyes struggled to stay on her face out of respect for her. But the struggle was there and his eyes were full of heat. She was sure a snarky comment was on the tip of his tongue but he was holding it for the moment and Clarke, not usually insecure about her looks but currently feeling nervous under his gaze, decided to take the opportunity to slip into the water before he could say anything.

She turned her back to him as she waded into the river, stopping when it reached her ribs. The temperature was cool enough to be a relief but not so cold as to be shocking. It felt lovely as she trailed her fingers through the weak current. There was no danger here of someone being swept away. The river was certainly moving but unless she lifted her feet and floated along, there was no way the current was strong enough to move her. After a second of hesitation, she plunged under the surface, reveling in the ability to wet herself completely. She came up for air a moment later, smoothing her hair back from her face as water trickled from her chin, trailing over her shoulders and down her back.

A splash from behind her caused her to whirl around and she saw the surface of the river rippling where Bellamy had decided to jump in and join her. The water was so clear here that she could see all the way to her toes. Bellamy was clearly visible as he swam toward her, bursting through the surface only a few feet away from her.

He flicked his head backward, showering her with droplets from his hair. He ran his fingers through it, keeping it out of his eyes as he grinned at her.

"When did you learn how to swim?" Clarke asked. She relaxed her legs and let her body dip beneath the water, leaving only her head and neck exposed.

Bellamy shrugged, wading out toward the middle of the stream, testing the depth. "Lincoln taught me on that scouting mission to the south. I don't know, a month ago maybe?"

Clarke remembered. One of Byrne's guards had come back from that one all covered in poison ivy and scratching his skin off. "Is it hard?"

He stopped at the deepest point, finding that he could still stand. "It's not really any different than what you did when you went under. Just hold your breath and kick your legs mostly."

"That seems way too easy," Clarke replied, mostly to herself. She stared down at the water and wondered what it would be like to move through it with the ease that Bellamy had just done.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a shout from the river embankment and Clarke looked up to see Mattox standing there, waving to her.

Mattox of the Rivers Clan wasn't the most imposing of men. He was lithe, a swimmer's body or so she'd been told. His bright blonde hair contrasted with his deeply tanned skin, skin that was covered with fanciful tattoos and kill marks. Clarke had found him to be a fair leader and a little less bloodthirsty than his brethren in the Forest Clan. He wasn't to be underestimated however. The Sky People had seen him mete out justice on enough occasions for Clarke to never want to be on his bad side.

"Clarke of the Sky People," he said with a grin. "How are you liking the lifeblood of my people?"

It took Clarke a moment to realize that the 'lifeblood' he was speaking of was in fact the river in which she stood. She grinned and pushed herself up to standing, completely forgetting for a moment that she wasn't wearing a shirt.

"I see you must be liking it just fine," he said with a grin, not bothering to hide the fact that his eyes were roaming over her chest.

Clarke felt her face flush and heard Bellamy swishing to come up behind her.

"Mattox," Bellamy acknowledged. He moved up beside Clarke and she could see him nod in the Commander's direction.

Mattox inclined his head in return, though his eyes only strayed from Clarke for a second. "Am I interrupting something here?"

Clarke shook her head, ignoring the low muttering that was coming from Bellamy. "No, of course not," she answered. "We were just checking the swimming hole. Most of our people don't know how to swim so I was making sure it wouldn't be dangerous."

Mattox grinned. "My people could teach yours to swim," he said and the twinkling in his eyes made Clarke think he was talking about more than just river safety. "I would be happy to give you a private lesson, if you like."

Clarke's heart was pounding in her chest at the innuendo. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been flirted with so openly. It felt really good to be the object of someone's desire, whether she returned that affection or not.

"Well, I do need to learn," she replied, deciding to throw caution to the wind. Mattox chuckled, causing her to smile more widely than she'd done in ages.

"Was there some reason you came down here?" Bellamy asked gruffly, interrupting the moment. Clarke was still smiling when she turned to take in his dour expression. She was a little confused to see how annoyed he looked.

"Yes. The evening meal has been prepared," Mattox answered, seemingly unperturbed by Bellamy's interjection. "I came to invite Clarke to eat with me."

Something dark flashed in Bellamy's eyes and Clarke's brow furrowed. He almost looked ready for a fight. In an attempt to keep the moment from spiraling out of hand, she turned back to Mattox. "You know, that'd be great. Go on ahead and I'll catch up with you in a few minutes, okay?"

Mattox must have understood the situation because he nodded and winked before turning around and heading back up the path.

Once Clarke was sure Mattox was out of earshot, she turned to Bellamy and smacked his arm. "What the hell was that?"

Bellamy's eyes widened a bit and he took a step back. "What was what?"

"That whole murderous glare thing you had going on," Clarke explained, crossing her arms. "Why do you care who I have dinner with?"

Bellamy rolled his eyes and laughed humorlessly. "He wants a hell of a lot more from you than just dinner, Princess."

Clarke frowned and watched as he made his way back to the shore. "Maybe he does. But what does that matter?"

Bellamy shrugged as he focused on pulling his jeans back on over his wet shorts. "I guess it doesn't."

"I mean, why do you care?" she asked. She dipped her shoulders back beneath the water, needing the shield from his eyes as he turned to look at her, shirt in one hand and boots in the other. "It's not like you want me."

Bellamy raised an eyebrow. "You sound awfully sure of that."

"Are you saying I shouldn't be?"

His jaw clenched for a moment and he looked off to the side. "You know, do what you want. With who you want. You're right. It doesn't matter."

"Bellamy!" she called as he turned and stalked up the path.

And then it dawned on her. The lingering glances, the way he always found excuses to grab her elbow or her shoulder, the way his eyes struggled when she undressed in front of him…maybe he did want her. Clarke felt her stomach flip at the thought that he might desire her.

For some reason he hadn't made a move on her though and she wasn't sure why that was. Steeling her jaw and pushing her way through the water to the shore, Clarke made a decision. She wasn't going to wait around for him to decide if he wanted her or not. They were all here at the festival to have fun and she was determined to at least try to do just that. She wasn't going to sit around and wait for a maybe. She knew for sure that Mattox was interested. And if mingling with Mattox made Bellamy realize what an idiot he was being…well that was just a bonus.

"_But I won't quit cause I want more."_

_Young the Giant "My Body"_

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed! It means so much. For those of you who also read Up in Flames, fear not. That's what I'm working on next. I'm down to posting one time a week and the stories will rotate. I'm sorry for that but school has started back up and my time is not my own. Thank you for being patient.

Special thanks to MarinaBlack1. She rocks socks, you guys. I don't know what I'd do without her these days. Check out her super interesting and compelling story "Stem the Tide." It's a Cage/Harper story and is wonderfully written. Give it a try you guys! And leave a review. Please always review. Just a word or two is enough for us to know that you want us to continue. We don't ask for much.

Luca


	4. Chapter 4

"Come with Me Now"

Lucawindmover

Chapter Four

"Crash"

* * *

Raven clasped Jasper on the shoulder, groaning playfully as he laid a sloppy kiss on her cheek. She pushed him away and he teetered drunkenly, laughing and waving as she ventured away from the light of the bonfire. It was getting late and all around them, couples had been splitting off from the group at intervals since dinner had concluded. The moonshine had been free-flowing and the merriment had commenced in earnest. Grounders of both tribes had been mingling unabashedly with the Sky People all evening, proving that this whole endeavor would likely be considered a success.

For everyone else, anyway. Raven was having an altogether different experience.

It pissed her the fuck off. To the Grounders, she was considered inferior, damaged. She wasn't worth the time it took to talk to, much less to get intimate with. Her brace might as well have been screaming to everyone that she wasn't worthy of being at this gathering. Both men and women alike were giving her a wide berth.

Her friends were trying to make up for it. Some of them were being subtle, like Clarke and Bellamy sticking around the fire even though it was pretty clear Mattox was ready to drag Clarke off into the woods and teach her a thing or two about Grounder love. Others weren't quite as subtle. Jasper had been sweetly pulling her into drinking games all night, popping up at her elbow any time she seemed to be alone. For half a second, Raven wondered if there was more to it than him just wanting to be a good friend. But then she caught the heated gaze he threw Harper's way a few times throughout the night and Raven realized what the reality was.

The one person she'd barely seen all night was Murphy, which she found odd. But then she hadn't seen much of the red-haired Grounder either and it didn't take much imagination to put two and two together. She hated the way jealousy swirled in her gut at the thought of him getting down and dirty with someone else. It wasn't like she had any claim on him. They'd slept together once and had maintained a tolerable friendship over the last few months but she had never tried to fool herself into thinking there was more there than what there actually was.

The carts were parked a little farther away from the fires than was convenient but Raven found she'd still rather sleep up off the ground if she could help it and making the short trek was worth it. As she rounded the side of the cart she'd slept in the previous night, she was a little surprised to see that it was already occupied.

Murphy was propped up against the far back, one leg in front of him and the other bent, looking for all the world like he was relaxed and comfortable. But Raven saw right through him. His jaw was tight and even in the dark she could see the way his eyes were narrowed and his lips were pressed in a tight line.

"Murphy," Raven said a little warily. "To what do I owe the honor?"

"I've got a bone to pick with you, Reyes," he answered. He pushed himself to standing and jumped off the back of the wagon, landing within a couple feet of her. Raven held her ground even though she could feel her heart rate speeding up a bit.

"Lay off, alright?" she said as she awkwardly pulled herself into the cart and sat on the back edge, feet not quite reaching the ground as she let her legs dangle. "I'm really not in the mood for your shit right now."

He didn't relax his stance but Raven was pretty sure his expression lightened a little at her tone and that just pissed her off more.

"Something's got _you_ in a mood," he replied. "What happened?"

Raven shook her head, her eyes not quite able to reach his. "It's nothing. It's stupid."

"It's the brace, isn't it?" he continued without skipping a beat. "There's not gonna be any Grounder-pounding with it on, right?"

"I'm not here for Grounder-pounding," Raven snapped, narrowing her gaze at his bemused expression.

He quirked his eyebrow at her. "No?"

"No. I'm here to be with my friends. To take a break from the damn rules for a little while," she said with a gesture in the direction of the bonfires they could no longer see. "And I don't care what they think anyway. I know I'm awesome."

"Uh huh," Murphy said, crossing his arms.

"You know what, they're all covered in scars too. Every one of them had wounds and survived it. So why the fuck is mine so much worse than theirs, huh? I survived too so why am_ I_ the pariah?" Raven could feel her heart pounding and her volume rising but she was pissed and she couldn't help it.

It was quiet for a moment as Raven's chest heaved and Murphy stared out into the dark. She hadn't realized just how angry the whole situation made her until she'd had a moment to let it out. She probably hadn't picked the best audience to vent to, considering it was Murphy's stupid bullet that had put her in this situation to begin with, but she figured if anyone was going to listen without pitying her, it would be Murphy.

"It's because it took you out of the fight," he said finally, looking over his right shoulder to meet her eyes. "They might have scars but they can still fight. That's the difference."

"How do you know that?"

He shrugged. "I overheard a few of them talking about it."

"Yeah right. When? While you were nailing the red-head?" Raven asked with a roll of her eyes.

Murphy snickered and turned to face her. "Careful there, Raven. You sound jealous."

Raven smirked and leaned back a bit, putting her weight on her hands. "Of course I am. That red-head is freaking hot."

"You're right. She is," He said, taking a couple of steps to put himself directly in front of her. "And she doesn't want anything to do with me."

Raven felt her throat tighten as the front of his thighs brushed against her knees. She had to forcibly stop herself from letting her legs fall open any farther than they already were. When had he gotten so close to her? "No chance. I saw the way she was stripping you with her eyes."

Murphy shook his head and dropped his hands down to her knees. His face was in shadow mostly and she couldn't see his expression clearly. But from the way his fingers tightened on the fabric of her jeans, she got the impression that he wasn't as annoyed with her as he'd presented himself to be. It wasn't unusual between them, the front they both tended to use with one another, their protection against the realization that there had always been more between them than they were willing to admit.

"She might have been," he said, his voice low in the darkness. "But that was before you went and opened your big mouth."

Raven tried to ignore the way his hands were sliding up the outsides of her thighs. He was slowly angling his hips between her legs, ever so slightly pushing her knees apart. She hated how she was holding her breath, silently begging him to close the space between them and provide her with the friction that her body was now incessantly craving.

"What are you doing here, Murphy?" she asked, pleasantly surprised when her voice didn't tremble. "You come over here to rub it in my face that I'm not getting any either?"

"Not exactly," he answered. "I want you to tell me what you said to them."

With that he yanked her knees apart and pulled her forward until he was nestled between her thighs. She just barely suppressed a groan as she let herself fall backwards in the process. God, he was already hard and when he shifted his weight…just…like…that…Raven was sure she saw stars behind her eyes as she was given the friction that her body wanted so badly.

And as quickly as he'd stepped toward her, he pushed away, moving his hips far enough back to leave her breathless and wanting.

"Fuck you, Murphy," she groaned as she pressed her hands over her face.

"Not until I get what I want," he growled. He slid his hands up her legs again, the pads of his thumbs pressing a line of fire up her inner thighs before they both pressed hard against her jean-clad center.

Raven bit her lip so hard she nearly tasted blood. "And what the hell is that? A pity fuck? Because I sure as hell won't do that."

Murphy stepped into the space between her legs again and Raven had to strain to keep her hips from pressing closer to him. His hands landed on either side of her torso as he hovered over her. "This has nothing to do with pity sex," he whispered as he leaned in closer to her ear. "This is an _interrogation_."

And just like that, the tables were turned. At least for Raven they were. She could absolutely handle this game, so long as it wasn't about him feeling sorry for her. There was no way she would actually tell him what she'd said to those Grounder girls. But he didn't need to know that. If the price for not spilling her guts was getting incredibly turned on…well. Two could play at this. There was no way he would be walking away from this wagon tonight.

His lips against the edge of her ear brought an involuntary whimper from her throat and she could feel Murphy smile against her cheek. Taking a page from his book, she rolled her hips forward and was rewarded with his sharp intake of breath as her pelvic bone ground against his erection. She smirked as he pulled back, hovering over her in the darkness. She could see his eyes now that hers had adjusted to the darkness and they were alive with mischief.

He stood back up, both hands going to the brace on her leg. He fumbled with it a bit but Raven wasn't about to make this easy on him. After finally getting the offending contraption off, he knelt and starting tearing at her boots. Raven swallowed hard. There was only one reason he was working so hard and that was because they were in the way of him removing her pants.

When he stood and his hands went to the button on her jeans, she grabbed both of his wrists and pulled them away. "What the hell makes you think I'll let you do this?" she asked breathily, sitting up. He didn't take a step back which meant they were incredibly close, his face just inches from hers.

Murphy froze. "If you say stop, I'll stop," he answered, his eyes burning into hers with an intensity that sent chills down her spine. "I don't mess with girls that don't want it."

Raven licked her lips. "And you think I want it then?"

"Am I wrong?" he asked with that god-awful smirk of his.

She didn't want to admit it out loud so she did the next best thing, letting go of his wrists long enough to grab the back of his head and pull his lips to hers.

Raven had forgotten how good of a kisser he was. She'd had no idea that she'd miss kissing so much. His lips were soft and yet his mouth was somehow hard and insistent, his tongue parting her lips with a swiftness that thrilled her. Raven's back hit the boards of the wagon with a force that nearly knocked the breath out of her. Murphy pushed her farther into the wagon, taking the opportunity to climb in with her.

Breaking the kiss for a moment, he sat back on his knees, tucked between her thighs, chest heaving as he tied to catch his breath. He stared down at her as if he were seeing her for the first time and Raven felt her face heating up.

She frowned at his expression. "What?"

Murphy licked his lips, resting his hands on her knees. "What did you say to them?" he asked, his thumbs tracing circles through the worn denim of her jeans.

For a moment she couldn't for the life of her figure out what he was talking about and her face must have shown as much.

But Murphy didn't elaborate, skipping the explanation in favor of reaching forward to unbutton her pants.

Without consciously meaning to, Raven lifted her hips, allowing him to tug her jeans down her legs.

"I'm still not telling you," she said in response to his question, her brain finally remembering that this was supposed to be an interrogation. She felt her mouth go dry as she caught the hungry look in his eyes.

"You're gonna want to," he replied, leaning down to press a kiss to the inside of her thigh. "I can guarantee that."

He was being so damn cocky and she hated it and loved it in equal measure. She had a snarky comment on the tip of her tongue but all words fled her mind as he laid an open-mouthed kiss on her incredibly damp panties. Raven's head fell back against the boards of the wagon with a loud thud but she didn't care. Bruises be damned. It barely registered to her that he was pulling her panties off now too. Between the pounding of her heart in her ears and the throbbing ache between her legs, Raven felt like she'd lost control of her senses. She didn't usually like not being in control but somehow relinquishing that need for the moment in exchange for this pleasure didn't seem like a bad trade-off.

"Are you ready to tell me what you said?" he asked and she could feel his breath on her newly exposed flesh as he spoke.

Raven tilted her chin forward and forced her eyes open to see him poised just above her, eyes glued to hers as he licked his lips. He was just inches away and she had to reach up and grab her own hair to keep from tangling her fingers in his instead.

"It was nothing," she answered and let her head fall back as his fingers began to stroke her. She felt her voice break as she tried to continue. "Not…uh. Not anything to get…worked up over…"

"Somehow I just don't believe you," he growled, closing that tiny space between them and tasting her around his fingers.

Raven moaned and this time she didn't hold it back. She let go of her hair, her hands flying down to grip his in an attempt to hold him in place. She could feel him chuckle against her but she didn't care. She just wanted to keep him there indefinitely. Besides the fact that no one had ever done this to her before and she'd had no idea how good it could be, if his mouth was occupied like this he couldn't use it to spout out his sarcastic comments and ruin what was the most pleasurable moment of her existence.

The fire building within her was quickly hitting a breaking point. Just as she thought it couldn't feel any better, Murphy quickly withdrew his hand and stopped with no warning.

With a gasp she opened her eyes and saw him there hovering between her thighs, eyes twinkling and chin dripping, a lop-sided grin waiting for her to complain.

Raven pushed up on her elbows, taking a couple of breaths to compose herself. "Why wouldn't you believe me?" she asked finally with a narrowing of her eyes. "You think I'm gonna lie about it?"

Murphy shrugged. His grin was firmly set in place but a tiny furrow appeared between his brows. "Everybody lies."

It was just a momentary slip in his playful façade but Raven caught it. And then she remembered the first time she'd met him, bloody and broken from being tortured by the Grounders, sick with the hemorrhagic fever that had been inflicted upon him after he'd broken. It had taken him three days to break. Three days of beatings and fingernails torn and flesh being ripped. Three days of interrogation.

She shouldn't have let him play this game. She should have remembered before. He wasn't as healed as he liked to pretend he was and maybe he'd genuinely thought he could separate the word from what he had experienced. But as she watched him hesitate now she knew better. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

"Come here," she mumbled, reaching forward and grabbing him by the ears. She pulled him over her and he followed with little resistance.

Words wouldn't fix him. She wasn't sure she'd have known the right words even if they _would_ have worked. She also knew sex wasn't the answer either. But it was what she could give him right now, a little piece of something that felt normal and safe and she tried to pour that into kissing him. They could both use a little fixing, truth be told. It wouldn't all happen tonight but she was determined to do what she could.

The moment he understood was like night and day. He propped up on his elbows, catching her eyes for a heart-stopping instant. And then he was kissing her thoroughly, with a kind of confidence and assurance he hadn't had before. It was thrilling and Raven squeezed her thighs against his hips, needing more of him than she currently could access.

Murphy leaned his weight to one side and, without breaking the kiss, managed to reach between them. Raven wasn't really sure what he was doing right up until the moment she felt him pressing into her.

It was slow and torturous, the way he paused after he'd completely filled her. She could feel his lips trembling against hers and she gripped his shoulders, nails pressing through the fabric of his shirt, the zipper of his pants digging into the tender flesh at the apex of her thighs.

Two strokes later and she broke the kiss, panting. "Stop. Murphy, we have to stop."

He dropped his forehead down to her shoulder with a breathy sigh, waiting for the worst.

"Don't be dramatic," she said as she attempted to push him off of her. "We just need to put something down under us," she explained. "I don't want have to explain to Clarke why she's picking splinters out of my ass tomorrow."

Murphy laughed shakily and Raven could feel him relax as he realized she wasn't rejecting him. "Yeah. We can do that. I have a blanket in my pack."

Raven lamented the need for him to pull out of her and actually stand to reach his pack. But it was really necessary. The wooden boards of the wagon were definitely not designed to be sex friendly.

"Did you bring your pack with you to pick a fight with me?" she asked as she watched him pull out a dark orange blanket and spread it in the empty space next to her.

He shook his head while he worked. "It was already here. I stowed it next to your stuff when we got here. Figured it would be safe enough."

Raven smirked. "You don't have a tent?"

Murphy shrugged. "Yeah but Fox begged me for it for the night. She scored a Grounder guy I guess."

Once the blanket was down, Raven scooted over and Murphy dropped down to his knees. But before he could resume his position, she stopped him again. "Uh, no. You gotta lose the pants at least. That zipper is a bitch."

"Yeah, that was not one of my best moves," he said with a wry grin.

As he went about shucking his boots and pants, Raven took the opportunity to pull her shirt and bra over her head. It might have cooled off significantly since sundown but the air was still muggy and she was hoping to work up a sweat. At least that's what she was telling herself to avoid admitting how much she wanted to feel his skin against hers.

Once his clothes were all in a pile, Raven grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him down next to her, using her good leg as leverage and swinging her left leg across him, she straddled his hips.

He didn't seem surprised by this change in direction, his fingers digging into her hips as she sank down onto him.

Raven liked this perspective. After being slowly teased by him it was nice to watch as his eyes rolled back in his head, his lower lip being drawn between his teeth as she wiggled her hips and settled on him.

They fit well together.

She started a rhythm that was the perfect combination of slow and hard. Her hands fell forward to his chest, his skin already beading with sweat as he thrust his hips forward to meet hers.

Raven wasn't expecting it when his fingers tightened on her hips and stopped her, holding her firmly in the air, hovering with only the tip of him teasing her entrance.

"What…?" she started as she attempted to sink back down on him and couldn't. He smirked and Raven scoffed. "You have _got_ to be fucking kidding me."

"What did you say to them?"

Raven strained against his hands for a moment but he wasn't relenting. "I'm not telling you tonight. But what if I promise to tell you. Eventually."

"Not eventually," he countered. "You have to tell me before the festival is over."

Raven felt her stomach drop out. She really didn't want to tell him _ever_ but he'd just destroyed her loophole. "Fine. Okay? Fine. I'll tell you before we leave."

Murphy raised one eyebrow, watching her expression intently. "You promise."

"Yes, I promise," she answered with a roll of her eyes. "Now would you just…"

But Murphy didn't let her finish as he thrust his hips upward, plunging himself deeply within her. She might regret her promise later but she was going to enjoy the hell out of it for now.

"_So close, now I can show you, all the inner working things."_

_Nostalgia feat. Insomnia "Bad Machine"_

* * *

A/N: Thank you everyone for being so patient for updates. I've definitely bitten off more than I can chew this semester. Updates on this and Up in Flames are going to be slow until I get to May and there's just nothing I can do about it. But I'm always writing on something, even if it's only a couple hundred words at a time.

The next big update will probably be on Up in Flames, likely in the next few weeks. Hang in there, peeps. It's coming.

Huge thanks to the best of the best, MarinaBlack1, justvisiting80, and Persepholily, for being wonderfully insightful betas and truly kickass friends. I wouldn't trade you for anyone in the world. Except maybe Bob Morley…I mean, let's be real here.


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